Chapter Fifty

CONTENT ADVISORY / TRIGGER WARNING

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DEPICTIONS/STRONG IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE OR DISTURBING:

~ CONTENT SEXUAL IN NATURE

The stable boy hastily exited their room and shut the door as he left. Libelle walked to the bag he had brought and pulled out a set of clothing for the both of them. She set down a pair of wool pants and a fresh cotton shirt for Eskil, as well as a pair of leather boots and a heavy wool coat. She then placed a new pair of leather britches and another cotton shirt to the side for herself. She removed a steel brush from the bag, a sealed jar of honey, and a fresh loaf of bread.

"Put these on," she said to Eskil, pointing to the stack of clothing.

He left the window to look down at the pile of new garments, picked them up and started to feel their texture. He shrugged off the wet cloak and let it fall to the floor before pulling the dirty shirt off over his head. He stripped out of his torn shoes and pants and then stood entirely nude before Libelle. She felt her cheeks flush and turned away from him. Eskil was incredibly fit and very attractive, but she felt ashamed to have stared at him the way she had.

He was tall with long legs and a long torso. His muscles were well defined and he looked like a true warrior. His tanned skin was uncommon in the cool lands of Skyrim, and the Nords were generally all pale in color due to the lack of sun and warm weather. Her blush increased when she glanced over her shoulder at the same time as Eskil turning around and stepping into the wool pants. He chuckled when he caught her staring at him.

"See something you like, Libby?" he asked sarcastically.

She looked away again, crossing her arms and chewing on her lip. "Not at all."

She listened as he finished dressing and waited until she heard the creak of the bed before turning back around. The shirt fit comfortably across his chest with the material snugly stretched over his muscles. Even his pants fit tight across his thighs. He was sitting on the edge of the bed while pulling on the leather boots. She waited against the wall until he stood up, shifting his weight in the new boots.

"Stand here and turn around," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I am going to change. I don't need you staring at me."

Eskil walked towards her with a sadistic smile, but instead of standing where she had directed him to, he sat down in the cushioned chair and rested his feet on the wooden table before it.

"Whatever makes you comfortable, slayer."

Libelle inhaled sharply, her shoulders rising with annoyance as she glared at him. He was not going to look away. He knew his staring made her uncomfortable, so that's exactly what he was going to do. The fiend. She looked away, releasing her held breath with a slow sigh.

Just pretend it's Gaalin. You don't have any issue dressing with him in the room, so the beast should make no difference. She heard him chuckle. Grrr, if I wouldn't raise an alarm I would beat you for this behavior! Get that smug grin off your face!

She sighed again, trying to calm herself. She needed to get out of her wet clothing unless she wanted to catch a cold, and there was no way she could make him look away. Not peacefully anyway. Not without causing a ruckus. Surely if they made too much noise they would be forced to leave. Another sigh, but this time, it was one of defeat.

Eskil fought another smile as he watched her stand for a moment longer. She was feeling incredibly uncomfortable and nervous, and it thrilled him to see how much affect her could have on her, even in this form. She may not pale in the presence of his fangs, but she still feared his stare.

He watched as she pulled her shirt over her head, her wet hair clinging to her back. She stretched the material, then hung it up alongside her coat. She combed through her hair again with the brush before braiding the long strands. He stared at her narrow waist that led up to her chest. He could see the faint outline of her ribs, and he watched her shoulder blades shifting beneath her skin as she swayed her hips side to side to slide the leather down her long legs. She stepped from the pants and shuffled to the side to grab the dry ones. He watched her thin but fit calf muscles flexing as she slid the tight leather up towards her thighs. Her cheeks stopped the rising of her pants and she pulled on one side of the hem, then the other, bouncing on her toes until she was successfully able to pull them up.

She turned towards the candlelight in the corner of the room as she tied the narrow leather strings near her pubic bone, pulling them into a secure knot. He glanced upwards at her slender stomach, then towards the pair of breasts that made his loins burn. Fighting the urge to look away for his own safety, he admired the full and round shape of them. Perfectly pink nipples, perked from the cool air, peaked upwards as she lifted her arms into the sleeves of the oversized shirt. She pulled her braid from beneath the collar, twisting it over her shoulder as she turned to sit on the bed.

Eskil's smile broadened as he stared at his handy work. The large scar that his talons had torn into her flesh three years before, any deeper and her throat would have been wounded beyond repair. The scar was large and bold, starting at her collarbone, riding up her neck and ending along her jawline and ear. How he relished the memory; they had fought for hours and both had been exhausted. That wound was the only reason she had retreated that day, and the retreat had not been her choice. The damned grey-skinned elf nearly threw her off the cliff to save her, all the while she fought him to try to strike him down. It was a fond memory of his.

Libelle blew into her hands while sitting on the bed. She wasn't looking at him but gazing out of the window like he had been earlier. He noticed the pinkish blush at the tips of her pointed ears, her cheeks were also flushed but the color was not as dark as before. Her long lashes fluttered as she blinked.

"It's early," she said.

"Early for what?"

She shrugged. "In the evening. It won't be nightfall for a few more hours, it just seems early to be sitting and doing nothing."

He mimicked her shrug. "Sleep then."

Her eyes darted towards him and she gave him a suspicious look. "I'd rather not, not now at least. I feel like you're up to something and that you'll try something fiendish again."

He flashed her a wicked smile, revealing his sharp canines for effect. He rested his head back on the cushioned chair, making note of how comfortable the feather-stuffed furniture felt on his backside. His horns tapped the wood on the wall behind him as he shifted his weight to slide down into the chair. His legs crossed each other on the footrest and he sighed.

"If you won't sleep, I will."

She eyed him wearily, feeling like she was waiting for him to try something. Instead, she heard a faint snore. She shrugged, lay back on the comfortable bed and closed her eyes. A few hours of rest would be good for her.